SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOR FROM COUNTY PENSION AGENCY

When confronted with evidence they’ve made a bad decision, public officials are capable of doing the right thing. We saw a good example of that earlier this month with Debora Allen and Jerry Telles of the Contra Costa County Employees’ Retirement Association and Herman Santos of the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association.

The three pension officials were among those cited in a Feb. 27 story by California Watch on the peculiar and indefensible fact that four local pension agencies from around the state were sending board members to a May conference in Hawaii – even though all four pension systems were badly underfunded.

Allen, Telles and Santos had second thoughts and canceled their junket.

But here in San Diego County, such wisdom isn’t to be found. The San Diego County Employees Retirement Association confirms that board Chairman David Myers, Vice Chairman E.F. “Skip” Murphy and alternate board member Tim Hancock are still going to the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki for at least five nights at a total cost of nearly $8,000.

This is unacceptable. It’s not just that the county pension fund had a $2.34 billion unfunded liability as of June 30, 2012, which was up almost $400 million from the previous year. It’s also the ludicrous idea that what Myers, Murphy and Hancock learn about pensions on Oahu couldn’t be learned here.

The San Diego County Employees Retirement Association should be ashamed – and so should the three board members.